02 May Going Solo: How to Learn A Language Independently

The desire to learn a new language can be very exciting. A new language can be used to communicate with various people from different cultures. But it takes time and commitment to develop this skill. The Good News: you can learn a language independently, just all by yourself.

Here are 5 helpful tips that will help you learn a new language as you decide to go solo:

1) Study with the Internet. It’s your best friend. There are many websites that can assist you in learning a language. Most of them are free, that’s already a giveaway. They will start from the basics and will increase the difficulty as you move forward. Some require a subscription fee to maximize the use of the website, so it’s a good idea to use the site that you are most comfortable with, so you won’t hesitate to upgrade.

These sites also have mobile application that you bring with wherever, whenever. Plus, all these apps and sites are interactive and fun to use, you will not get bored, and there’s always something to look forward to while you learn.

2) Speak the words out loud. It might sound weird at first, as you won’t be able to pronounce it properly, but with practice and dedication, your will improve at it. To improve fluency, the more obvious way is to converse with someone, but since you are on your own, you can record yourself and study your pronunciation. Although, the sites mentioned above will be your main source of learning the language, you should supplement the learning process by using a translator. It has been proven that speaking out loud and listening to your own voice allows you to comprehend with what you have learned. It also improves your reading and speaking skills.

3) Read more and more. Go to the library, buy language books or get Kindle or other reading tools – Read and don’t stop! The more you read, the better your sentence construction and word usage will be. Also, read newspapers in the language you are learning. Making this a habit will improve your vocabulary by a huge margin. Reading books can reduce stress. Another benefit of reading is that it helps you to improve your thinking and analytical skills. It improves your memory, which is the most important skill in learning a language.

4) Make a timetable. Decide how much time you want to spend every day learning the language. You don’t need to spend hours and overwhelm yourself. Instead, study the language in short bursts. Use the mobile apps for a more flexibility in terms of frequency and places. Tip: try to spend at least 15- 30 minutes reviewing the lessons and learning new ones every day. Do your best not to skip. Studies show that practicing an activity regularly can strengthen focus which helps in achieving your learning success.

5) Watch movies, TV shows, videos in your target language. To be able to learn a language independently, you need to be more creative and keep the interest going. Watch movies and videos and study how the actors use the words and construct the sentences. Also, keep the voice modulation and pronunciation in mind. While watching movies, try to minimize the use of subtitles. You will not understand the full movie in the first attempt and that’s absolutely normal. So you need to re-watch the movie to get familiar with the use of the language. You might also learn various new words and phrases. Remember, the main aim of watching movies and TV shows is to help you out with the learning process. Check this list of movies to get you started.

Bonus tip: Listen to songs, too! Passively listening to music, while you are working or doing something else, helps you retain the words in your mind. Start updating your playlist now.

These may sound like a lot of work, but once you get started, you will understand how much fun it is. Learning a language independently is perfectly possible. With the availability of all the resources, it has become a lot more convenient. All you need to do is stay focused. Try to overcome obstacles aka distractions. Once you learn the language properly, you will feel proud of yourself.